Coalition will complete NBN objective, says Turnbull
Shadow Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull has given what he described as a "solemn undertaking" to the Australian people that a Coalition Government would "complete the job of NBN Co", instead of ripping up the network or abandoning Labor's NBN policy altogether.
Defence plans major ICT projects for 2012
The Department of Defence said last week that it expects to receive Government approval to go ahead with a number of major ICT projects in the next year, ranging from telecommunications to datacentre reform and its long-anticipated overhaul of its PMKeyS human resources platform.
US telco Verizon launches 300Mbps unlimited fibre
Giant US telco Verizon has launched a 300Mbps broadband service with unlimited data quota included that uses the same fibre to the home technology as the National Broadband Network, stating that homes with multiple devices using high-bandwidth applications simultaneously need the extra speeds.
Qld Health payroll: The lawsuit may be back on
The new LNP Queensland Government is reportedly attempting to source legal advice created for the previous Bligh Labor Government with respect to whether it would be feasible to sue vendors involved in the disastrous Queensland Health payroll systems implementation.
Microsoft beats SF.com to another CRM deal
Microsoft announced this week that its Dynamics CRM solution had beaten rival platform Salesforce.com to another Australian deal for CRM delivered through a web browser, with the company picking up work at local conferencing services provider Redback Conferencing.
Australian protests erupt over Wikileaks’ Assange
A series of protests will be held around the nation this afternoon to demand the Federal Government protect Wikileaks founder Julian Assange from potential extradition to the United States, despite statements by Foreign Minister Bob Carr to the effect that the Australian Government has done his utmost for the Australian citizen.
No Telstra 4G version for Galaxy S III
Korean electronics giant Samsung this morning confirmed its highly anticipated Galaxy S III handset would launch today through all of Australia's major mobile carriers, but without a version supporting Telstra's next-generation 4G mobile network, which is the fastest and least congested mobile network in Australia.
Data retention proposal still hazy, even within Govt
The Federal Government's data retention proposal was still largely incomplete and being internally evaluated as of late 2011, new documents released under Freedom of Information laws have shown, despite the fact that the controversial plan is several years old and has become part of a concrete package of reforms aimed at increasing surveillance powers.
Emperor Hyde pillages CSG’s IT services vault
The Australian division of NEC this morning announced it would acquire the Technology Solutions arm of locally listed company CSG for an amount up to $260 million, in a move which will make the Japanese technology giant a significant player in Australia's IT services market.
CommBank ditches softphone strategy for smartphones
The Commonwealth Bank of Australia has confirmed plans to substantially modify its high-profile softphone-based unified communications strategy recently implemented at its flagship Commonwealth Bank Place facility in Sydney, turning instead to a mass smartphone deployment as its replacement.
No new Aussie review into Google W-Fi breach
Contrary to a number of high-profile news articles published over the past 24 hours, Australia's Privacy Commissioner will not open a new investigation into Google's collection of Wi-Fi data by its Street View vehicles in Australia, following a new report by US regulators into the matter.
“Heroic”: Turnbull savages ACCC Optus sign-off
Shadow Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull has made a lengthy parliamentary speech damning the ACCC's decision to sign off on Optus' $800 million deal with the National Broadband Network Company, describing the regulator's assumptions when approving the arrangement as "heroic".
The Suncorp pitch: Core banking overhaul matters
Tier two banking and insurance giant Suncorp has started talking up the benefits of its Oracle-based core banking platform overhaul to the financial markets, following rival the Commonwealth Bank in arguing that its own modernisation and simplification program will bring significant business benefits that will affect its customers and its bottom line.
Diablo III latency: Blizzard faces angry Aussie horde
Video game giant Blizzard is currently facing a tsunami of complaints from Australian gamers frustrated that the company's lack of Australian servers is making its new Diablo III unplayable for locals.
Telstra confirms HTC One XL launch
The nation's largest telco Telstra has confirmed through a YouTube video posted this morning that it plans to launch HTC's 4G-capable One XL Android handset on its Next G network, with the smartphone likely to be one of the nation's top 4G-capable models for some time.
Simon Hackett quits Internode for iiNet board
Long-time Internode managing director Simon Hackett has broken his pledge to customers that he would continue to lead the company he founded after its acquisition, signalling today his intention to leave his formal executive role at Internode and instead take up a role on the board of Internode's new parent iiNet.
ACCC approves Optus’ $800m NBN deal
The national competition regulator has provisionally approved the $800 million deal under which the nation's number two telco Optus will shut down part of its HFC cable network and transfer its broadband customers onto the National Broadband Network infrastructure currently being rolled out around Australia.
Qld kicks off whole of Govt ICT audit
The new Liberal-National Party State Government in Queensland has announced it will conduct a six month whole of government audit into ICT systems used across the state public sector, in a bid to identify potential savings and efficiencies ahead of projected rationalisation of its ICT assets and processes.
Nationals Leader factually incorrect (again) on NBN
The Federal Leader of the Nationals, Warren Truss, has for the second time this year made a major factually incorrect public statement with regards to Labor's National Broadband Network project, inaccurately stating that no resident in his electorate would be able to connect to the infrastructure until "at least the latter part of this decade".
HP layoffs likely to hit Australia
Technology giant HP this morning said it expected its massive global job cuts -- which are expected to see some 27,000 employees exit the company -- to affect all of its regions across the world, with the implication that Australia will not be left off the list of locations to receive retrenchment targets.
Bridgestone picks Lumias for smartphone fleet
The Australian division of tyre manufacturer Bridgestone has picked Nokia's Windows Phone7-based Lumia 800 smartphone as its platform of choice for its corporate smartphone fleet, with the Finnish company beating rival offerings from the likes of Research in Motion, Apple and Google to the work.
Telstra launches first 4G Windows phone
As expected, Telstra today launched its first smartphone running Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 operating system that is capable of 4G speeds, with the model being a 4G version of HTC's Titan phone.
IT price hike inquiry kicks off: Submissions wanted
The Federal Parliament's inquiry into local price markups on technology goods and services has gotten under way, with the committee overseeing the initiative issuing its terms of reference and calling for submissions from the general public on the issue.
Rural Australia wants the NBN as quickly as possible
Rural and regional Australian communities are strongly committed to the Federal Government's National Broadband Network project, with a focus on maximising the potential of the infrastructure when it arrives in their area, a new independent report has found.
SAP’s SuccessFactors deploys Aussie datacentre
SAP subsidiary SuccessFactors has opened a datacentre located in Australia from which it will sell its software as a service-based human resource management and business execution software to local customers, in one of the first known deployments of such dedicated Australian infrastructure by a global SaaS vendor.
Govt pushes ahead with cloud-sharing approach
The Federal Government today revealed a standardised approach to sharing computing workloads between agencies, in a so-called 'community cloud' strategy that will attempt to leverage existing infrastructure operated by major departments such as the Department of Human Services to provide services to smaller agencies.
Australia top Game of Thrones pirating nation
Australia is the nation which most pirates the popular HBO television series Game of Thrones, new analysis released this week has shown, with time delays and cable TV lock-in being the primary culprits believed to be behind the nation's copyright infringing habits.
Turnbull concerned by Google, Amazon tax offshoring
International technology companies such as Google, Facebook and Amazon may not be paying their fair share of Australian tax, Shadow Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull said this week, with local tax laws not having caught up yet with the challenges of the digital environment.
Spotify finally launches in Australia
news In the realisation of one of the worst-kept secrets in Australia's new media and technology sectors, Swedish music streaming Spotify has launched locally,...
NBN here to stay under Coalition, says analyst
Labor's flagship National Broadband Network project is here to stay in one form or another and won't be discontinued as a whole, telecommunications analyst Paul Budde said this week, even if the Coalition was to take power in the next Federal Election.
The ABC didn’t sack Bitcoin miner
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation didn't fire an un-named IT worker who attempted to use the broadcaster's vast server infrastructure to make himself a fortune through the Bitcoin virtual currency system, it has emerged, with the employee merely being disciplined and having their access to certain IT systems restricted.
Galaxy S III listed for Telstra, Optus and Vodafone
Telstra, Optus and Vodafone are all listed on Samsung Australia's support site as launch partners for the company's upcoming Galaxy S III smartphone, it was revealed last week, including a potential 4G version for Telstra's rapidly expanding LTE network.
Victoria dumps HealthSMART e-health project
The Victorian State Government has reportedly decided to walk away from its troubled central electronic health project HealthSMART, which has reached only a limited number of its goals over the past decade since it was initiated, despite soaking up several hundred million dollars worth of government funding.
iiNet ramps up Internode digestion
iiNet has taken several key milestone actions over the past week as it continues its ongoing efforts to integrate the operations of fellow national broadband provider Internode into its own, following its acquisition of the company in late December last year.
HP completes giant new NSW datacentre
Global technology giant HP has finished building its colossal $119 million new datacentre in Western Sydney and will launch the "world-class" facility next month, with a speech slated to be given by Communications Minister Stephen Conroy.
Parliament knocks back surveillance terms
The Parliamentary Committee tasked with examining the Labor Federal Government's wide-ranging plans to broadly increase and deepen its surveillance powers has reportedly knocked back the terms of reference which the Government has given it.
Evidence: Rural Australia is demanding the NBN
An analysis of rural coverage following the announcement of the three-year rollout plan for the National Broadband Network has shown overwhelming demand for the infrastructure from a large number of rural and regional Australian communities, with many expressing disappointment that they had been left off the list for the NBN's first few years.
Microsoft beats Salesforce to utility CRM deal
Energy retailer Australian Power & Gas has picked Microsoft’s Dynamics CRM system over rivals Salesforce.com and Right CRM as the base platform for a customer relationship management overhaul to tackle incoming email complaints.
New BlackBerry OS 7.1 hits Australia
Troubled Canadian device manufacturer Research in Motion has made the new version of its operating system available to Australian customers, with the new platform being approved already for Government use and telcos Optus and Vodafone making it available to customers.
Pristine Telstra network photos: We sourced our own
Following our publication of a photo gallery of "worst of the worst" photos of Telstra's copper network, the telco declined to provide photos of pristine, well-maintained infrastructure. So, we sourced our own photos anyway.
NBN no CommBank or Qantas, says Hockey
Shadow Treasurer Joe Hockey has taken an axe to the Federal Government's budget treatment of its National Broadband Network project, arguing that NBN Co is not an asset like previous government-owned companies such as Qantas or the Commonwealth Bank, which were eventually successfully privatised.
NSW finalises colossal datacentre consolidation
The New South Wales State Government this week announced the Leighton subsidiary Metronode as the winner of its long-running and wide-ranging datacentre overhaul project, with the company to construct two new substantial facilities which will allow the state to consolidate its IT operations drastically.
ASUS Transformer Pad tablet hits Australia
Taiwanese consumer electronics giant ASUS has started selling its Transformer Pad TF300T Android tablet in Australia, with the device to hit retailers this week starting at $499 for the basic model, and $599 with a docking station attached.
NBN debate not about technology, says Turnbull
Shadow Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull has delivered a major speech in Malaysia in which he criticised the publication of "worst of the worst" photos of Telstra's copper telecommunications network and argued that the National Broadband Network debate should be about real end user outcomes and not about technology per se.
No pristine photos: Telstra rejects copper challenge
The nation's largest telco Telstra has declined a challenge to provide photos highlighting good examples of the best-maintained infrastructure in its national copper telecommunications network, following the publication several weeks ago of a "worst of the worst" gallery of photos of the network.
Politicos reject NBN referendum idea
A number of politicians and lobby groups have panned the idea that Australia could hold a non-constitutional referendum on whether Labor's National Broadband Network policy should proceed following the next Federal Election, with most stating that such a vote would be unnecessary given existing popular support for the project.
HTC One XL on sale: Compatible with Telstra 4G
Independent mobile retailer Mobicity has started selling a version of HTC's flagship HTC One XL smartphone which will fully function on Telstra's 4G mobile network, ahead of an expected launch by the telco of the device in the next month or so.
We’re not shutting down T-Box, says Telstra
The nation's biggest telco Telstra has rejected a report by The Register that it is expected to shut down its T-Box IPTV streaming video platform and shift its 300,000-odd customers using the platform to the Foxtel pay TV company it part owns.
NSW agencies push very hard for SaaS rollouts
Several major New South Wales Government agencies have unveiled major and wide-ranging plans to imminently purchase Software as a Service-style IT solutions, in moves which have the potential to re-cast the dynamics of the perceived relationship between Australia's public sector and the burgeoning class of SaaS-delivered IT packages.
GAME Australia goes into administration
The Australian division of embattled video game retail chain GAME Group has gone into administration, video game media outlet Kotaku reported this morning.
Is Abbott consciously lying on NBN costs?
Opposition Leader Tony Abbott appears to have again misrepresented the cost of connecting to National Broadband Network fibre infrastructure, in comments which the Government has said represent a deliberate attempt to mislead the Australian public on the issue.
Geo-block busting ISP not realistic, says Hackett
Internode managing director Simon Hackett has downplayed the potential for Internode or other Australian ISPs to follow a New Zealand ISP and offer a "Global Mode" that offers greater access to the internet by circumventing geographical restrictions placed on the certain internet services such as Hulu and Netflix.
Has Telstra delayed HTC One XL launch?
Australian specialist Android media outlet Ausdroid has reported that Telstra may have delayed its rumoured launch of a 4G version of HTC's new One smartphone series, further pushing back the date when Australian mobile phone enthusiasts will have access to a top-level smartphone supporting the telco's new 4G network.
Aussie non-profits adopt Office 365 en-masse
Non-profit Australian organisations such as charities are adopting Microsoft's Office 365 Software as a Service platform in large numbers, according to non-profit technology enablement group Infoxchange, which has recently helped 20 such organisations shift into Microsoft's cloud.
Senate blocks release of secret piracy docs
The Federal Government and Opposition have teamed up to block a motion put by the Greens in the Senate which would have forced the Attorney-General's Department to produce a series of documents regarding its closed-door meetings on Internet piracy in February this year.
Optus takes TV Now case to High Court
The nation's second-largest telco Optus today said it would appeal its Federal Court loss over its TV Now cloud-based personal video recording software to the High Court.
Nokia previews Lumia 900, 610 in Australia
Finnish mobile phone giant Nokia has invited Australian journalists to a Sydney briefing previewing its new Lumia 900 and 610 smartphones, in one of the first indications that the Lumia 900, regarded as one of the top Windows Phone 7 smartphones globally, will eventually be sold through carriers in Australia.
A handful of complex Australian Oracle rollouts
Over the past month, Oracle has revealed its involvement in a series of new Australian technology rollout projects, with all of the initiatives using multiple pieces of the US software giant's complex software stack and some additionally using some of the hardware products which it has been pushing following its integration of Sun Microsystems.
‘Cooked books’, ‘funny money’, ‘trickery’: Coalition on NBN budgeting
Leading Opposition figures have slammed the Government's handling of funding for the National Broadband Network in this week's Federal Budget, alleging that the project's finances are being misallocated to cover up holes that would have sabotaged the policy aim of delivering a budget surplus.
CenITex sacks 200: Read the internal email
Victorian IT shared services agency CenITex told its staff that it was planning a round of 200 redundancies. Thanks to a source, we've gotten our hands on the internal document outlining the changes.
An Aussie IPTV revolution we can believe in
The founder of DVD and streaming online video service Quickflix has made a stirring speech to a local investment conference, arguing that Australia is at the beginning of "an IPTV revolution" that will see the nation's entertainment choices reach equal par with those available in the US through popular platforms such as Netflix.
Vendors unimpressed by IT price hike inquiry
A number of global technology vendors likely to be hauled before Australia's Parliament to justify their local price markups have grudgingly and briefly signalled their acceptance of the proceedings and willingness to participate, although some have completely refused to comment on the issue.
Greens demand Australia cancel ACTA participation
The Greens have demanded that Australia's Government cancel its participation in the controversial Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement international treaty in the wake of an expected imminent rejection of the proposal by the European Union and significant and ongoing global protests against a number of its terms expected to harm Internet freedom.
IT strategy to lead NSW from “the dark ages”
New South Wales' Coalition State Government late last week revealed a new and wide-ranging strategy which it said was slated to make it "the leader in ICT" when it came to public sector service delivery and the development of the state's technology sector as a whole.
Pirate Party slams ‘unjust’ surveillance upgrade
The Australian division of digital rights political movement the Pirate Party has slammed Federal Government plans to "unjustly" boost online surveillance powers by law enforcement agencies, describing the initiatives as "steps towards a police state".
Govt seeks substantial boost to surveillance powers
The Federal Government today revealed a wide-reaching program to substantially reform its telecommunications interception and surveillance powers with the aim of bolstering the ability of law enforcement organisations to fight crime, including the introduction of a so-called "data retention" scheme that has attracted a great deal of controversy in Australia under the 'OzLog' banner.
Google Australia: ~$1bn in revenue, $74k in tax
Search giant Google has revealed it expects to pay just $74,000 in corporate income tax for the 2011 calendar year in Australia, off claimed local revenues of $201 million, despite the fact that industry estimates have continually pegged the search giant's Australian income at closer to $1 billion.
“Cooked books”: Abbott misleads on NBN
Opposition Leader Tony Abbott appears to have made a number of mistakes or factual inaccuracies in a wide-ranging speech criticising Labor's National Broadband Network project, alleging, for example, that the project's funding was based on "cooked books" and that retail prices would be three times higher than on current broadband networks.
Qld Health payroll fix may cost $440m
The Australian newspaper has reported that the cost of fixing Queensland Health's botched payroll systems implementation may rise eventually to $440 million.
Pacific swaps out VMware for Hyper-V
Clothing and homewares manufacturer Pacific Brands has revealed it switched out VMware's market-dominating virtualisation platform over the past several years, installing Microsoft's rival Hyper-V system instead as it sought to take more advantage of virtualisation in its operations.
Pure massacre: Optus sacks 750
The nation's number two telco Optus this morning revealed plans to sack some 750 staff, in a company-wide restructure which it claimed was aimed at giving customers "a stronger voice".
Copper maintenance cost not an issue, says Turnbull
Upgrading Telstra’s copper network to fibre to the node was the “quickest and easiest” way to get better broadband for Australians, the office of Shadow Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull said this week, highlighting a study which had shown that the cost of maintaining the decades-old infrastructure was not significant compared with the overall investment required for universal fibre.
Offshore cloud an adoption barrier, finds KPMG
A research study partially funded by major offshore cloud computing vendors Salesforce.com, Microsoft, and Google has found that one of the major barriers stopping Australian organisations from migrating to cloud computing platforms is the lack of cloud infrastructure based in Australia, with legislation such as the US Patriot Act cited as key concerns with offshore hosting.
Worst of the worst: Photos of Australia’s copper network
You don't always have a perfect day. Some days, you just get out of bed on the wrong side of the bed, and things go wrong for you all day. Australia's copper telecommunications network is like that. Most days it works OK, but on some days it's just a shocker. And there's a very good reason why -- it's old and in many areas it hasn't been maintained very well.
FTTN a huge “mistake”, says ex-BT CTO
One of the UK's foremost telecommunications experts, a former chief technology officer of British telco BT, has publicly stated that fibre to the node-style broadband is "one of the biggest mistakes humanity has made", imposing huge bandwidth and unreliability problems on those who implement it, as the Coalition may do in Australia.
IT’S ON: Govt sets up IT price hike inquiry
Price-hiking technology vendors are set to be hauled before Australia's Parliament to justify their local markups, with Communications Minister Stephen Conroy confirming the Government will hold an official parliamentary inquiry into the issue, following a long-running campaign on the issue by Federal Labor MP Ed Husic.
Telstra to cut Microsoft Office 365 prices
The nation's largest telco Telstra is reportedly planning to follow Microsoft's international lead and cut prices on the local version of Redmond's Office 365 cloud productivity suite, which Microsoft offers locally in partnership with the telco.
NRL, AFL win appeal in Optus TV Now case
The full bench of the Federal Court has ruled that Optus's TV Now online television recording service is in breach of the Copyright Act, in the next stage of a closely watched lawsuit seeing the National Rugby League (and eventually the AFL and Telstra) pitted against the telco for its attempt to make TV broadcasts more readily available to customers online.
Liberal MP missteps in NBN Co ad rage
Liberal MP Paul Fletcher has written to the competition and press regulators complaining about what he said were misleading advertorial-style paid articles about the National Broadband Network, despite the fact that NBN Co has denied paying for the articles, which were independently written by News Ltd and Fairfax journalists and, in one case, sponsored by Optus.
Optus launches 4G in Newcastle
National broadband provider Optus has upgraded its mobile network in the Newcastle and surrounding region to support fourth-generation (4G) mobile broadband speeds, in a test deployment ahead of a wider national rollout planned for later this year.
NSW Police under fire again for pirating software
The long-running battle between enterprise IT vendor Micro Focus and NSW Police over the force's allegedly illegitimate use of millions of dollars worth of software hit headlines again this week, with the broadcast of a significant investigation into the matter by the 7:30 Report.
Turnbull on iiTrial: We need ‘global copyright’
In the wake of iiNet's victory in its Internet piracy High Court case, Shadow Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull has called for the content industry to start releasing all of its content globally through on- and offline platforms simultaneously upon launch, in an effort to meet the demands of consumers and make piracy irrelevant.
Exetel launches $55 terabyte ADSL plan
National broadband provider Exetel has launched a terabyte ADSL broadband plan including a PSTN landline service for a total of $55 per month, in what is initially a limited "Anzac Special" offer lasting to the end of April.
Adobe’s biennial tradition: 50% Aussie price hikes
Global software giant Adobe has continued a long-running tradition of extensively marking up its prices for the Australian market, revealing yesterday that locals would pay up to $1,400 more for the exact same software when they buy the new version 6 of its Creative Suite platform compared to residents of the United States.
Piracy meetings still censored: “No public interest”
An internal Government review has backed a decision by the Federal Attorney-General's Department to censor almost all information about the secret Internet piracy meetings the department has held with the content and ISP industries over the past six months.
Telstra to launch first 4G Windows phone
Telstra will shortly launch its first smartphone based on Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 operating system that will support 4G mobile speeds, according to a product catalogue seen by local Windows Phone enthusiast site WPDownUnder, with the model to be a HTC Titan II 4G.
Vodafone releases $39 plan with unlimited text
Vodafone Hutchison Australia has launched a new $39 Plan with "infinite" text messages included, with a range of handsets for zero monthly cost to choose from, including the Samsung Galaxy S II.
New Kindles hit Australia a week early
Amazon has announced that its new Kindle Touch e-reader devices would start shipping to customers in over 175 countries and territories worldwide (including Australia) seven days earlier than the previously announced shipping date of April 27.
NBN satellite gateway for Merimbula
Merimbula, on the NSW Far South Coast, is to be the site of the National Broadband Company’s first satellite ground station gateway. This facility will enable NBN’s Long Term Satellite Service (LTSS) to “transmit high-speed internet to homes, farms and businesses in remote parts of Australia,” a media release by NBN Co issued last week said.
Airtasker startup wins $1.5m in funding
Australian startup Airtasker has secured $1.5 million in funding.
Govt to continue secret anti-piracy talks
The Federal Government would "closely examine" the High Court's judgement in the long-running copyright infringement case won by ISP iiNet over film and TV studios this morning, Federal Attorney-General Nicola Roxon said this afternoon, as she noted that closed door talks held by her department on the matter would continue.
AFACT demands Govt action over iiTrial loss
The Australian Federation Against Copyright Theft (AFACT) today said its high-profile loss in its High Court case against ISP iiNet illustrated that Australia's Government needed to step in and take action on the issue of Internet piracy in Australia.
Minister worried about AGIMO’s ability to deliver
Documents released under Freedom of Information laws have appeared to show that the minister overseeing the Federal Government's peak IT decision-making agency is concerned about its ability to deliver on a whole of government technology strategy, with yet another review being commissioned into its performance.
iiNet wins High Court Internet piracy trial
iiNet today emerged victorious in a landmark High Court victory against a coalition of film and TV studios on the issue of Internet piracy through peer to peer platforms like BitTorrent, in the conclusion of a long-running case which is viewed as the a test for how Australia's telecommunications industry will deal with the issue in future.
XENON to upgrade CSIRO supercomputer cluster
The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Australia’s national science agency, has chosen Australian company XENON Systems to provide internationally competitive, customized technology solutions.
Vodafone launches Sony smartphone Xperia S
Sony’s new flagship smartphone – the Xperia S – is set to make its Australian debut at Vodafone stores and online for $0 upfront on a range of Vodafone’s 24-month plans.
Amazon mulls Aussie distribution centre
According to a report in the Sydney Morning Herald, giant international Internet retailer and cloud computing giant Amazon is considering deploying a distribution centre -- Amazon-speak for giant warehouse filled with goods to ship to customers -- in Australia.
Google boss: let Internet flourish to boost productivity
The annual $27-billion boost to Australia’s productivity from internet innovation is at threat from policymakers who would rather restrict online access than embrace it, Google’s Australia boss has warned.
Telstra to launch MOG music streaming service
Australian telecommunications company Telstra and subscription music service company MOG yesterday announced a partnership to provide Australians with unlimited, on-demand access to an estimated 15 million music tracks that can be streamed to their mobile, tablet, computer or net-connected TV.
You’re wrong, global satellite authority tells Turnbull
The global adjudicator on satellite positioning appears to have rejected claims by Shadow Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull that the National Broadband Network Company had inappropriately gone ahead with plans to launch two satellites over Australia without securing the necessary orbital slots first.
Australian Govt says hands tied on Assange
The Australian Government's hands are currently tied when it comes to the fate of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, Federal Attorney-General Nicola Roxon said last night, with the maverick Internet publisher's Australian citizenship mattering little in the scheme of Swedish legal process unless a formal extradition request was made to shift him out of the European Union.
NSW Govt may scrap IT shared services units
The New South Wales Government has indicated it may follow in the footsteps of fellow states Queensland and Western Australia and drastically re-work its IT shared services strategy, in the wake of questionable benefits having flowed from the scheme.
Hackers attempt News Corp break-in
The Australian division of global media giant News Corp has warned its staff to beware of attempts of external attackers who are seeking to "hack" into the company's network.
Web Directions hosts May mini-confs
Local conference outfit Web Directions, best known for its popular October conference of the same name, will host two smaller conferences for web professionals in May, this year: Web Directions Code, set for May 23rd and 24th in Melbourne, and State of Play on May 28th in Sydney.
Made in Australia: Windows Phone 7 apps plugged
Developed Down Under (DDU) is a new, free, Aussie-made mobile phone app for the Windows Phone 7 platform that officially went live about a week ago.
Abbott faces down Tassie NBN supporters
Opposition Leader Tony Abbott has stared down harsh criticism of the Coalition's rival broadband policy in a tense community meeting in Launceston, where the Labor Federal Government's popular National Broadband Network was one of the topics being discussed by Tasmanian residents.
Strong NBN support amongst Coalition voters
More Coalition voters support the Labor Federal Government's flagship National Broadband Network project than are against it, according to new research released today, as support for the initiative continues to grow to record levels.
Lacking reality: Sysadmins slam “snooping” claims
Australia's peak representative body for systems administrators has taken an axe to claims published in the Sydney Morning Herald last week that a huge proportion of IT professionals abused their system access to illegitimately read others' email, calling for evidence to be presented to back the claim.
Kate Burleigh to lead Intel’s Aussie unit
Chipmaker Intel has announced the appointment of Kate Burleigh (pictured, top) as general manager for Australia and New Zealand. Promoted from her role as national marketing and reseller channel organisation manager for Australia and New Zealand, Burleigh replaces Philip Cronin who moves up as director of regional sales and business development for the Asia-Pacific region. He will continue to work out of Sydney.
Sold: Primus Australia goes to M2
Local telco umbrella group M2 this morning unexpectedly revealed it would buy the Australian operations of Primus Telecom, in a move that will further consolidate the Australian telecommunications landscape ahead of the rollout of the National Broadband Network.
Back in your box: NBN Co shuts down wireless “expert”
The National Broadband Network has shot down in flames inaccurate claims by a non-technical analyst today that all Australian telecommunications would be based on wireless technologies by the time the NBN was completed.
High Court iiTrial verdict set for 20 April
iiNet has revealed that Australia's High Court will lay down its verdict in the national broadband provider's high-profile legal battle with a coalition of film and TV studios next Friday 20 April at 10AM, in a move which will finally provide closure to the long-running online copyright infringement case.
Reckon invests in local SaaS startup
Australian software specialist Reckon has announced a strategic minority investment in local start-up Connect2Field. Reckon acquired a 30 percent stake for $660,000, thus providing its customer base a useful application for field staff management and paving its way into the CRM space.
US slams Australia’s on-shore cloud fixation
The United States' global trade representative has strongly criticised a perceived preference on the part of large Australian organisations for hosting their data on-shore in Australia, claiming it created a significant trade barrier for US technology firms and was based on a misinterpretation of the US Patriot Act.
Is the CSIRO a patent troll? US debate turns feral
An extremely harsh war of words between Australian and international technologists has erupted over a controversial new article published in the United States documenting evidence that Australia's peak research body's $430 million patent claim over 802.11 Wi-Fi technology might have been constructed on shaky ground.
NBN Co in-sources contact centre
In what appears to be something of a reversal of a previous outsourcing strategy, the National Broadband Network Company has announced that it would set up a new contact centre located at Varsity Lakes on the Gold Coast in Queensland. The centre would be ready for operations in the second half of this year, and is expected create more than 130 jobs.
Dick Smith in new offer after game sale fiasco
Electronics retailer Dick Smith has kicked off a new sale on video games and accessories, to mollify customers miffed by a poorly handled sale last week which saw thousands of customers lining up in front of stores for deals, only to walk away empty-handed.
iOS conference One More Thing set for May
The second edition of One More Thing, a conference of iOS developers and designers, has been scheduled for May 25th and 26th in Melbourne, Australia.
ACCC approves FOXTEL and Austar merger
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has announced it will not oppose the proposed acquisition of AUSTAR by FOXTEL, greenlighting the multi-billion dollar merger of the two pay TV giants and paving the way for Australia's digital TV sphere to be re-shaped.
Privacy risks plague cloud computing, says commissioner
In a recent speech on ‘Privacy risks and potential benefits in the cloud’, Acting Victorian Privacy Commissioner Anthony Bendall has highlighted some of the privacy concerns with cloud computing, particularly in its use by the local government.
RIM appoints Ray Gillenwater as ANZ MD
BlackBerry maker Research In Motion has appointed Ray Gillenwater Managing Director for Australia and New Zealand. Gillenwater replaces Adele Beachley, who resigned in February.
Sydney to Melbourne cable turns 50 years old
Communications Minister Stephen Conroy has highlighted the fact that yesterday, April 9, marked the 50th anniversary of the landmark opening of the coaxial telecommunications cable between Sydney and Melbourne, delivering a new era in telecommunications in Australia. Conroy has additionally likened the project's vision to that of the National Broadband Network.
Macquarie Uni gets deep into virtual desktops
Following on from the news last week that recruitment firm Hudson (and a number of others over the past year or so) is rolling out an extensive desktop virtualisation project internally, comes further detail about a similar (and quite innovative) program at Macquarie University.
Google to launch High Court ad challenge
The Australian newspaper has reported that Google will appeal in the High Court a ruling last week that the search giant had displayed misleading or deceptive advertisements on its search results pages.
Turnbull has no NBN plan, says Conroy
Communications Minister Stephen Conroy has demanded that the Coalition publish its policy platform for the next election in the area of broadband and telecommunications, pointing out that this is the third time, in as many months, that he has made this inquiry of the Coalition; asking it to disclose its broadband policy, the technology it proposes to use, and the cost to Australians.
Come clean, Conroy: Turnbull slams Brissie NBN “gerrymandering”
Shadow Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull has accused the Government of targeting its own electoral seats in the National Broadband Network’s (NBN) rollout in Brisbane, where Labor suffered major losses in the recent Queensland election. NBN Co’s latest rollout plan for the next three years was announced several weeks ago.
Insider Robin Payne appointed NBN Co CFO
The National Broadband Network Company, the company constructing Australia’s national broadband network, has appointed Robin Payne, Chief Financial Officer. Payne has been acting as CFO, succeeding Jean-Pascal Beaufret, who retired in January 2012.
Australia Post sues digital rival over name similarity
Australia Post has instituted legal proceedings against fledgling e-post joint venture Digital Post Australia with reference to the similarity in the name of the company with its own well-established brand. It has sought an injunction in the Federal Court to stop Digital Post Australia from using the name ‘Digital Post Australia’ for its digital mailbox service.
Australia to review digital sections of Copyright Act
The Federal Government has signalled that it will review its copyright laws to ensure that they keep abreast of the changing times, with Attorney-General Nicola Roxon releasing for public comment the draft terms of reference for an inquiry into the operation of copyright exceptions in the digital environment.
Misleading ads: ACCC wins appeal against Google
The Full Federal Court of Australia has ruled that Google breached the law by displaying misleading or deceptive advertisements on its search results pages. The decision follows an appeal by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), following an earlier decision in favour of Google.
Radio shockjocks diss NBN during paid ads
NBN Co has shifted some of its radio advertising away from 2GB after the station's well-known conservative shockjock Ray Hadley and another presenter standing in for his colleague Alan Jones criticised the project on air, directly before reading paid advertising for NBN Co which factually explained details of the rollout.
Exetel flooded with Internet piracy notices
National broadband provider Exetel has published a day by day breakdown of the numbers of copyright infringement notices it has been receiving from content owners such as film and TV studios, with the figures regularly ranging into the hundreds each month, and potentially even beyond a thousand in any given 30 day period.
Virgin ups quota on postpaid broadband
Optus subsidiary, Virgin Mobile, has announced it is refreshing its suite of Postpaid Mobile Broadband plans.
Offshore cloud providers popular in Australia
A study has found that two-thirds of Australian enterprises which utilise cloud computing services, do so from offshore providers whose servers are located outside Australia rather than opting for a local provider.
DSD approves iPhones, iPads for Govt use
The Federal Government's security evaluation agency has approved devices running version 5 of Apple's iOS platform (including iPads and iPhones) for classified government communications, after a lengthy evaluation period and the production of a detailed security 'hardening' guide for the popular mobile products.
Qld gets new ‘Can Do’ ICT ministers
New Queensland Premier Campbell Newman has appointed several high-profile members of his new LNP-dominated parliament to take control of the state's technology portfolio, as a new political dawn arrives in the sunshine state following his electoral route of the previous Labor Government a week ago.
Patently Australian: CSIRO settles suits over Wi-Fi
Australia’s national science agency will receive $220m after settling litigation against three US companies to license the wireless local area network (WLAN) technology it invented in the early 1990s.
Internode launches NBN wireless, reveals pricing
National broadband provider Internode today started selling fixed wireless services over the National Broadband Network's fledgling wireless broadband footprint, with the ISP's pricing in the area to be the same as its pricing on the lowest speed tier (12Mbps) of its NBN fibre plans.
NBN: Australia can’t trust Labor, says Turnbull
Shadow Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull has issued a scorching statement on Labor's track record in building the National Broadband Network, declaring that the three-year NBN rollout plan delivered last week was "a duplicitous and ham-fisted attempt" to conceal its failure to deliver.
Internode manager proposes in video game session
An online game of Team Fortress 2 in late February became the unusual setting for Internode web site manager Taryn Hicks to propose to her long-time boyfriend Derek Adams.
Delimiter is giving away a new Apple iPad
Our last giveaway, a Kindle Fire, went really well, and quite a few readers told me they would like to see more giveaways, so we've decided to give away another tablet -- and this time it's one of Apple's new iPads!
Husic asks Conroy for IT pricing inquiry
Federal Labor backbencher Ed Husic has revealed that he is planning to write to Communications Minister Stephen Conroy requesting that an inquiry be held into the practice of technology vendors unfairly hiking prices for the Australian market.
River City Labs boosts Brisbane’s startup infrastructure
River City Labs, a Brisbane based start-up company, was officially opened on 22 March 2012 by Brisbane Deputy Mayor Adrian Schrinner. According to a press release, Labs is a not-for-profit co-working space founded and funded by Stephen Baxter, PIPE Networks co-founder (pictured, above left) and a well-known figure within the telecommunications and Internet industry.
Gillard strongly defends Huawei NBN ban
Prime Minister Julia Gillard has strongly defended the Government's decision to ban Chinese technology giant Huawei from making bids to supply equipment to the National Broadband Network project, rejecting suggestions the move would cause diplomatic ructions and emphasising the Australian Government's right to make its own choice.
Conroy sees “positive outcome” ahead on filter
Communications Minister Stephen Conroy has indicated the Government is having discussions with the telecommunications industry about the future of its controversial mandatory Internet filtering project, the future of which is currently hanging in the balance, following the delivery of a review of Australia's classification system.
NBN Co releases three-year rollout plan
The National Broadband Network company today released a detailed plan of the locations and schedule where it plans to deploy fibre and wireless broadband infrastructure over the next three years, noting that the rollout was slated to hit some 3.5 million premises in 1500 communities in every state and territory in Australia.
Vodafone confirms HTC One X launch
Mobile carrier Vodafone has announced the pre-order availability of the HTC One X Android smartphone in Australia, opening up a pre-registration page for the phone on its website.
Kindle Touch 3G goes on sale to Australians
Online retailer Amazon.com has announced that the Kindle Touch 3G is available for pre-order online to customers in over 175 countries and territories, including Australia. The Kindle Touch 3G will be shipped to customers from April 27.
Huawei’s NBN ban: A 24 hour round-up
With this in mind, if you are interested in the Huawei NBN story, we can only recommend that you head to the the AFR and check out the following stories on the issue, where the paper has gathered the views of many, many different government and industry stakeholders on the issue. The best thing? None of it's paywalled.
In court: Apple offers refunds to iPad buyers
Iconic technology giant has reportedly offered to refund any Australian customers who bought its new iPad tablet under the misapprehension that 4G network speeds were available in Australia, in a preliminary hearing in Melbourne this morning, after the national competition regulator filed a lawsuit over what it called 'misleading' advertising in the area.
Australia Post reveals digital mailbox plan
Australia Post has announced that what it has described as a "Digital Mailbox" will be offered free to every Australian this year.
MyNetFone unveils NBN plans
Internet telephony company MyNetFone has released its National Broadband Network plans and pricing. The NBN service will be available from May 2012 and represents the latest addition to the company’s ISP repertoire following its foray into the field through the Naked DSL services.
ACCC sues Apple over “misleading” 4G iPad claim
Australia's competition regulator will tomorrow (Wednesday) take iconic technology giant Apple to court for advertising its new iPad tablet as featuring "4G" speeds -- which are not supported on Australian telecommunications networks.
Sony Xperia S hits Australia early April
Sony’s new Android smartphone, the Xperia S is set to launch early April in Australia through all major mobile carriers, the company announced yesterday.
Visionstream bags $300m Tassie NBN deal
Leighton subsidiary Visionstream has won a $300 million contract from the National Broadband Network Company for the rollout of the National Broadband Network (NBN) in Tasmania.
Please explain Huawei ban, Greens tell Labor
The Greens have called on the Labor Federal Government to publicly disclose its reasons and associated evidence for blocking Chinese networking giant Huawei from tendering for National Broadband Network contracts, pointing out that the company has not been accused of breaking any laws.
Telstra launches Samsung Galaxy S II 4G
The nation's largest telco will tomorrow start selling a 4G version of one of 2011's most popular smartphones, Samsung's flagship Galaxy S II.
Huawei espionage claims “completely absurd”: Downer
Former Foreign Minister Alexander Downer has reportedly described claims that Chinese networking vendor Huawei has links to cyber-espionage from its home country as "completely absurd", in the wake of news that the company has been banned from participating in National Broadband Network contracts for such involvement.
Qld Police go war-driving for insecure Wi-Fi
As part of the National Consumer Fraud Week currently underway, the Queensland Police Service is launching a new project aimed at encouraging the public to check their wireless internet connection and ensure it is secure, which entails it driving around the state and detecting unsecured wireless networks.
Angry iiNet roars dissent at FOXTEL/Austar merger
National broadband provider iiNet has fired off a sternly worded missive to the national competition regulator arguing that a proposed undertaking by FOXTEL to mitigate anti-competitive outcomes in the subscription television space was wholly unsatisfactory and may allow FOXTEL part-owner Telstra to extend its broadband dominance in regional areas.
Govt bans Huawei from NBN tenders
Federal Attorney-General Nicola Roxon appears to have confirmed that her department has banned Chinese networking giant Huawei from participating in the multi-billion dollar National Broadband Network tendering process, despite the company not being accused of having broken any pertinent laws in Australia.
Exetel releases $55 ‘Fair Use’ unlimited ADSL plan
National broadband provider Exetel has once again dipped its toe into the 'Unlimited' broadband plan market, launching a new offering at $55 and $65 monthly price points (including telephone line rental) that will see customers who exceed average usage patterns requested to reduce their downloading habits.
SAP has 20 Aussie Business ByDesign customers
IT channel publication CRN has reported that German software giant SAP has signed up 20 customers for its Business ByDesign software as a service platform, which launched in Australia in August last year.
Australian tests: New iPad’s 3G faster than iPad 2
Despite the lack of 4G support in Australia, Apple's new iPad offers substantially faster network speeds locally than previous models, according to tests conducted this week by Gizmodo.
Pirate Party slams extreme govt secrecy
Pirate Party Australia has condemned the actions of Attorney-General Nicola Roxon, whose department has refused to release documents regarding closed door discussions on the issue of Internet copyright infringement under Freedom of Information laws.
Vodafone launches Android clearance sale
Vodafone has launched an online only clearance sale for select smartphones, primarily offering recent generations of Android models in the deals, but also models with different operating systems from the likes of Nokia and Research in Motion.
Telstra downplays 3G CBD issue
The nation's largest telco Telstra has sought to downplay issues being experienced by customers using its 3G mobile network in central business district areas, stating that it's happy with how the network is performing but acknowledging that there are pockets in the network that could get congested and were scheduled to be upgraded.
Vodafone replaces CEO Dews
Vodafone Australia yesterday announced the appointment of Bill Morrow as the company’s new chief executive, succeeding Nigel Dews, the current Vodafone CEO who has been assigned a senior role within Vodafone part-owner Hutchison Whampoa, reporting to group managing director, Canning Fok.
Telstra launches 4G Wi-Fi hotspot
The nation's largest telco Telstra has launched 4G LTE Mobile Wi-Fi device, allowing Australians in 4G coverage areas to enjoy high-speed mobile Internet on their Wi-Fi-enabled laptops, tablets and smartphones.
Red Cross last upgraded its IT in 2002
The Australian Red Cross last upgraded its IT infrastructure ten years ago, it has been reported in the wake of news that the organisation will receive a $10 million grant from Microsoft to modernise its infrastructure.
Some ISPs’ shaping speeds slower under the NBN
A number of Australian ISPs, including Internode, Primus, Engin and ClubTelco, have set shaping speeds on their National Broadband Network fibre plans slower than the shaping speeds on their existing ADSL broadband services, despite the fact that the NBN's fibre infrastructure offers base speeds substantially higher than the copper-based ADSL network.
TPG considering unlimited NBN plan
National broadband provider TPG is reportedly considering launching a National Broadband Network pricing plan offering unlimited download quota, similar to its popular existing ADSL2+ unlimited plans.
Optus, Virgin open pre-orders for HTC One X
Optus has announced the availability of online pre-orders for the HTC One X Android smartphone. Booking started on March 20th for delivery in Metropolitan areas on April 2nd, and Regional areas on April 4th. Optus subsidiary Virgin Mobile has also announced the imminent arrival of HTC’s flagship model in Australia, posting “check back early April for updates” on its website.
ING DIRECT rolls out Microsoft cloud deployment
ING DIRECT Australia has deployed Bank in a Box, a private cloud infrastructure, in collaboration with systems integrator Dimension Data and backed by technical expertise from Cisco, NetApp and long-term partner, Microsoft. A case study published by Microsoft this month reveals the background to the technology deployment at ING DIRECT.
Senate order: Greens demand secret piracy docs
The Australian Greens have filed a motion in the Senate requesting that the Government release documents regarding its closed door meetings on Internet piracy which the Attorney-General's Department has blocked from being released under Freedom of Information laws.
iiNet launches faster ADSL transfer process
National broadband provider iiNet has introduced changes in its broadband transfer process, making it possible to switch to an iiNet service easily, in a few hours -- allowing them to avoid the lengthy downtime associated with churning to a new ISP, which can sometimes extend to several weeks.
Optus 4G trial blazes past 70Mbps
Australia’s number two telco Optus announced late last week that it had successfully completed what it said was the nation’s first 4G mobile broadband trial using 700MHz – a new mobile frequency providing wider coverage and faster speeds as compared to the existing 4G mobile services that used the 1800MHz spectrum.
Blackout: Govt piracy meeting completely censored
The Federal Government has declined to reveal almost any information about a second secret industry meeting held in February this year to address the issue of Internet piracy, using a variety of complex justifications to avoid releasing virtually any detail of the meeting under Freedom of Information laws.
Companies forgoing corporate UC for Skype
Australian enterprises have started using more public telephony and softphone services as part of their voice and video communications mix, analyst firm Telsyte has found -- with commodity platforms like Skype winning out ahead of more premium enterprise IT-focused offerings from the likes of Cisco and Avaya.
iiNet dumps off-peak quotas … but not on NBN plans
National broadband provider iiNet has dumped the idea of separating quota on its ADSL broadband plans into on- and off-peak chunks, but has not extended the same system to its National Broadband Network plans.
Sydney Apple iPad queue is huge
If you're curious to know what the launch overnight and this morning of Apple's new iPad, check out these two videos posted by Gizmodo of the event.
Vodafone up for sale, reports The Australian
The Australian newspaper has reported that embattled mobile telco Vodafone Australia has been put up for sale, with a memorandum on the issue having been issued to potential buyers such as telcos and investment houses in Asia and Europe.
Recruiter picks Telstra for cloud, telco services
Recruitment and HR services provider Randstad has signed a three-year deal with Telstra, to provide telecommunication services and transition the company into a cloud-computing model.
Australians offered digital inbox for real mail
A trio of business process companies have teamed up in a joint venture to offer Australians an easy way to receive their physical mail -- online.
Telstra hosts midnight iPad launch tonight
The nation's largest telco Telstra has revealed plans to open its flagship downtown retail stores in Sydney and Melbourne at midnight tonight (Thursday night) to start selling Apple's new iPad tablet, eight hours ahead of planned retail launches by Optus, Vodafone and Apple itself.
Microsoft Hyper-V wins huge Coles rollout
Microsoft has revealed that a virtualisation solution built on Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 Enterprise with Hyper-V technology has been implemented by retail giant Coles, at each of its 741 supermarkets, to tackle an aging, in-store fleet of server hardware.
Samsung Galaxy Note launches in Australia
Samsung launched its Galaxy Note Android handset in Australia on Tuesday. The device, which the company claims is a product category of its own, is described as having the benefits of a tablet while maintaining the functionality of a smartphone.
Executives carry more tech devices than ever
Corporate executives are increasingly carrying around multiple devices at work, new research from the University of Sydney has revealed.
Telstra parts ways with Sensis CEO
Telstra yesterday announced that long-time Sensis CEO Bruce Akhurst would leave the company in May after 15 years in service.
Startup pays local to line up for iPad
Australian startup Airtasker has used its fledgling jobs board service to advertise for someone to line up outside the Sydney Apple store to buy the new iPad when it is launched this Friday in Australia.
Vodafone ‘guarantees’ network quality — or your money back
‘Vodafone Network Guarantee’ is mobile telco Vodafone’s latest move to assuage irate customers in the face of continuing network concerns and coverage woes. The Guarantee, introduced on a trial basis in South Australia and the ACT from the first week of September 2011, and nationally on December 4th, 2011, is applicable to all new and upgrading customers who had signed up for the post-paid plan.
Corruption allegation hits Sydney Uni IT manager
The Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) will hold a public inquiry commencing on Tuesday 20 March 2012 as part of an investigation it is conducting into corruption allegations concerning a University of Sydney manager's use of a recruitment agency, in which he and his wife had an interest, to recruit contractors and staff to the university.
Interpol filter causes sharp drop in offensive requests
The implementation of a limited Internet filter at Telstra has caused a dramatic and rapid drop in the numbers of attempts by the telco's customers to access child abuse materials online, statistics released by the Australian Federal Police have shown.
E-health record will be hacked, says AusCERT
One of Australia's top IT security organisations has warned that the Federal Government's flagship e-health records project is likely to be broken into, with Australians' medical and identity information to be used for fraud and other criminal activities.
Victoria Govt launches $11m ICT fund
The Victorian Coalition Government has launched an $11 million 'Digital Futures Fund', which is aimed at giving a substantial boost to cutting edge Information and Communication Technology (ICT) projects in the state.
Announcing the winner: Delimiter’s Kindle Fire giveaway
As you might recall, in January we kicked off a competition to give away an Amazon Kindle Fire -- we had one sitting around spare after we reviewed it last year.
Updated comments policy
Hi everyone, I just wanted to post a quick note letting you know that I have updated Delimiter's official comments policy.
In-flight Internet: Qantas’ failure to launch
Qantas, Australia’s biggest airline, has announced a new trial run of in-flight Internet connectivity on its superjumbo A380 for passengers on intercontinental flights between Australia and the United States. But it's not the airline's first attempt to bring in-flight connectivity to its passengers; in fact, Qantas has repeatedly struggled with the issue over the past decade.
Atlassian buys HipChat
Australian enterprise software firm Atlassian revealed this week that it had acquired San Francisco-based HipChat.
Foxtel/Austar merger may unlock IPTV goodies
Pay TV giant FOXTEL has proposed terms relating to its proposed $1.9 billion merger with fellow pay TV company Austar that could see a raft of premium content unlocked for use by competing platforms such as burgeoning Internet video companies FetchTV and Quickflix.
Telstra seals $11 billion NBN deal
Telstra announced yesterday that it had finalised its Definitive Agreements with the National Broadband Network Company and the Commonwealth for Telstra’s participation in the rollout of the NBN. The agreements and associated Government policy commitments would provide Telstra $11 billion in post-tax net present value over the long-term life of the agreements.
New iPad to hit Australia 16 March
Iconic technology giant Apple this morning revealed the new version of its flagship iPad tablet, noting that the device would be available in Australia along with a clutch of other countries from Friday 16 March -- next week.
Westpac sends another 125 tech jobs offshore
Top tier bank Westpac yesterday confirmed it was planning to outsource a further 125 jobs in its technology support division, as part of an ongoing campaign of workforce rationalisation which the bank's main union has claimed has been characterised by "media-type spin" to disguise its actions.
No switch-off date yet for Usenet, says Internode
Internode today clarified that it had as yet set no date for when it will stop providing customers with subsidised access to Usenet Newsgroup services, although it still plans to do so at "some future point".
iiNet and Internode revamp broadband plans
National broadband provider and iiNet subsidiary Internode has announced revised broadband plans, with reduced prices and data quotas aligned to its popular NBN plans. And parent iiNet has introduced Internode's data blocks feature to its own plan structure.
Nikoletatos swaps Curtin for ANU
High-profile Curtin University chief information officer Peter Nikoletatos has left his role to take up a similar position at the Australian National University.
Gillard’s PC hack surfaces in Stratfor leaks
A document published by Wikileaks on the public Internet appearing to be an internal briefing document from global intelligence firm Stratfor has mentioned the alleged security breach on Prime Minister Julia Gillard's parliamentary computer and has alleged that similar hack attacks have occurred before.
Telstra signs up first Next G wholesaler
The nation's largest telco Telstra today revealed it had signed up the first telco customer to resell its flagship Next G network, with the company being itself a wholesaler of telecommunications services named iTelecom Wholesale.
Victoria Police lacks ability to deliver IT projects
In a broad-based investigation of the Victorian police force, the State Services Authority (SSA) has found that the organisation has no ability to deliver major IT projects.
Kondoot social network plans $10 million IPO
Australian video social network Kondoot has announced plans to launch an Initial Public Offering (IPO) in a bid to raise $10 million for its marketing and expansion plans.
Optus caught up in SingTel restructure
The nation’s number two telco Optus will undergo a substantial restructure which will see its long-time chief executive take up a wider role within its parent SingTel, it was revealed today, as SingTel reorganises its Asia-Pacific operation around a series of core vertical businesses rather than its traditional geographic markets.
Internode to “quietly” shut down Usenet service
National broadband provider Internode has internally flagged plans to "quietly" shut down the Premium Usenet newsgroup server it has offered to customers for some years as a free value-add to their existing broadband plans.
Pirate Party cautiously welcomes classification review
Pirate Party Australia has welcomed some of the recommendations made by the Australian Law Reform Commission (ALRC) about reforming the current classification system, in a wide-ranging report published this week into the way Australia restricts content consumption.
Surprises amongst Australia’s top cloud providers
Local ICT analyst firm Longhaus has revealed key findings from an industry report ranking cloud providers in the Australian market. The report, entitled ‘Australia’s Trusted Infrastructure-as-a-Service Cloud Provider Market 2012’, is the third annualised study released by Longhaus on the state of cloud computing in Australia.
iiNet announces NBN satellite plans
Australia’s second largest DSL Internet provider, iiNet has announced it will launch its first National Broadband Network satellite services in the latter part of March and has provided details of its pricing plans, which start at $49.95 per month.
HTC One? Telstra will take two
The nation's largest telco Telstra has confirmed it will shortly be launching two handsets in HTC's new flagship One line-up in Australia, firming suspicions that HTC's new top-end LTE model could be headed to the big T's flagship Next G 4G mobile network.
HP firms up multimillion deal with Downer EDI
Technology giant HP has announced a six-year multimillion-dollar infrastructure technology outsourcing services agreement with Downer EDI Limited, an Australian-based engineering and infrastructure management services company.
Greens demand Govt protect Assange
The Government and the Opposition took squirming to new heights recently while handling — or rather not handling — the threat of prosecution faced by Australian citizen and WikiLeaks chief Julian Assange in the USA, a media release put out by the Australian Greens yesterday.
Telstra NBN prices aren’t final: Conroy
The comparatively expensive National Broadband Network pricing plans released by Telstra this week aren't the telco's final prices, Communications Minister Stephen Conroy said yesterday, with Telstra to release more packages in the near future.
Hacks focus CIOs on IT security
After the spate of high-profile hacking incidents in 2011, Australian CIOs and IT and security managers are taking no chances this year. According to new research by local analyst firm Telsyte, Australian enterprises will increase their security spending and change their information security strategies in 2012.
Ninefold launches Aussie Box.net rival
Australian public cloud computing company Ninefold has launched a new cloud storage service entitled Business Cloud Drive. This service enables organisations of 100+ users to store, access and share their continually growing amounts of data in a secure, local and easily accessible location.
Conroy misleads public on Internet filter
Communications Minister Stephen Conroy today appeared to consciously tell a factual inaccuracy with respect to the current implementation status of Labor's controversial Internet filtering project, stating that Telstra and Optus had implemented the filtering system, when they have only implemented a drastically reduced version.
Telstra launches Samsung 4G tablet
The nation's largest telco Telstra today started selling the first tablet able to take advantage of the dramatically heightened speeds available on its fledgling 4G/LTE network infrastructure, with the device to be a 8.9" Galaxy Tab model manufactured by Samsung.
ACCC accepts Telstra separation undertaking
Australia's competition regulator today signalled it would accept the final version of Telstra's plan to structurally separate its operations and migrate its customers onto the National Broadband Network over the next decade, in a landmark reform pushed for by Telstra's rivals for the past decade.
Aussie start-up incubators need fresh meat
There is good news for Australian start-ups looking for investment and guidance, as start-up incubators are opening new rounds of applications for their funding intake and mentorship programs. These investors provide internet companies seed capital, mentorship, connections, opportunities for Australian web start-ups, usually for a minority stake, and even pitch for top-tier venture capitalists and angel investors.
Virgin Australia provides in-flight Galaxy Tabs
Airline Virgin Australia has revealed plans to use Samsung's Android-based Galaxy Tab 10.1 device to launch Phase I of its new in-flight entertainment system on most of its Boeing 737 and Embraer E190 aircraft in April 2012. Business Class guests on all sectors will be able to use the Galaxy Tab while Economy Class passengers taking flights over three hours will have access to the device.
New HTC One line-up to hit Australia
Taiwanese gadget giant HTC has confirmed that it will shortly be launching its new top-end One line-up of Android-based smartphones revealed at Mobile World Congress in Australia, and will reportedly also launch a 4G version of its Titan II Windows Phone 7 handset locally as well.
Telstra releases expensive NBN pricing
The nation's largest telco Telstra has released its commercial pricing plans for the National Broadband Network, with the company's plans appearing to be significantly more expensive than those available from rival providers such as Optus and iiNet.
Telstra signs NBN Co wholesale deal
The nation's biggest telco Telstra this morning confirmed it had signed the wholesale services agreement with the National Broadband Network Company which the industry has been negotiating with NBN Co for the past 15 months, in a move which paves the way for Telstra to finally release its commercial retail NBN prices.
R18+ game delays frustrate Pirate Party
The Australian branch of the Pirate Party has expressed its dismay about the continuing delay over the introduction of an R18+ classification for video games, in a statement issued last week.
DiData lands Aussie customer for new cloud
Global IT services outfit Dimension Data has announced a new range of global cloud services, simultaneously revealing it has signed up the Australian Centre for Advanced Computing and Communications to use the platform.
Cloud could help fix Govt IT paradigm: Hodgkinson
Independent analyst firm Ovum said this week that developing and maintaining ICT capabilities constitutes an ongoing challenge for government agencies, with one of the organisation's Australian public sector specialists noting that the utilisation of cloud computing services could provide an edge in an “unsustainable game of ICT snakes and ladders being played by many government agencies”.
PlayStation Vita goes on sale in Australia
Gaming giant Sony's latest handheld console, the PlayStation Vita, has gone on sale in Australia and is now available in stores across the country, marking Sony's fifth major console hardware launch locally.
Technology ministers strongly back Gillard
The Federal Government's cadre of Labor Ministers most involved with the technology portfolio have emerged as strong backers of Julia Gillard in the Prime Minister's tussle with rival Kevin Rudd which erupted last night following Rudd's resignation as Foreign Minister.
Australian web 2.0 start-ups raise big capital
Thereitis.com, the Adelaide start-up spun out of Flinders University has elicited a $2 million angel investment round to steer international commercialisation of its user interface technology.
Optus offers Nokia Lumia 800 deals
Pre-orders for the Nokia Lumia 800, the first Nokia smartphone with Windows Phone 7 operating system, are now available, with exclusive online offers announced by Optus in a statement this week. The offers (valid until 29 February) come as a precursor to the much anticipated launch of the handset in Australia on 1 March.
ISP launches 2TB, 100Mbps NBN plan for $105
One of the smaller players in Australia's broadband marketplace has launched a range of innovative National Broadband Network pricing plans, including a top-end 100Mbps plan with 2TB of monthly quota and for $104.95, and a low-end plan which would cost customers as little as $29.95 per month.
Data#3 flags job cuts: Read the internal email
There was one little fact which Data#3 didn't disclose to investors during its financial results briefing session this week: Job cuts
Aussie startup wants us to outsource chores
Airtasker, a new online community marketplace based in Australia that lets people outsource everyday tasks and chores to ‘runners’ -- local community members looking to earn some extra money -- was launched on February 21, according to a media release issued by the company this week.
Telstra launches Motorola Xoom 2 tablet
Hot on the heels of the Motorola Xoom, Motorola Mobility and Telstra are introducing the Xoom 2 tablet to Australia. The company claims the new slimmer and lighter version of the tablet is also faster, super-powerful, and features higher productivity, rich entertainment and customisable experiences. The Motorola Xoom 2 is available from Telstra starting this week.
Anna Bligh promises 5,000 iPads for schools
Queensland Premier Anna Bligh has promised that her Labor State Government will commit $5.7 million to deliver some 5,000 iPads to year 7 students across the state in a high-profile educational trial of the Apple tablets, should Labor retain power in the upcoming state election.
Australian Govt re-kindles office file format war
The Federal Government's peak IT strategy group has issued a cautious updated appraisal of currently available office productivity suite file formats, in what appears to be an attempt to more fully explain its thinking about the merits of open standards such as OpenDocument versus more proprietary file formats promulgated by vendors like Microsoft.
NBN enjoys prolonged popular support
The results of a new poll released this week by research houses Essential Media and Your Source has shown that Labor's flagship National Broadband Network policy has continued to enjoy strong levels of popularity, especially amongst Labor and Greens voters, since the last Federal Election.
Data#3 revenues up, but profits down
Australian diversified ICT services group Data#3 Limited on Monday reported a 15 per cent increase in group revenue at $435.8 million for the second half of 2011, in line with projections and well ahead of overall industry growth. However, the net profit after tax (NPAT) of $7.2 million was down 9.5 per cent from the previous year, which was a particularly good one for the company.
NSW Govt settles Tcard dispute
New South Wales Minister for Transport Gladys Berejiklian has announced the settlement of the long-running Tcard legal dispute with Videlli (formerly ERG). The trial had been due to start next Monday in the Supreme Court of NSW. The resolution of the matter will spare taxpayers a potential loss of around $200 million.
Optus buys Vividwireless for $230m
Australia's number two telco Optus this morning revealed it would buy wireless broadband player Vividwireless from its parent the Seven Group, for a total cost of $230 million, in a move which Optus said will birth a new 4G mobile broadband network in Australia.
Atlassian’s SourceTree ditches Mac App Store
Atlassian, the Australian developer of the SourceTree app for Mac have decided to stop submitting SourceTree updates to the Mac App Store after March 1st, the deadline for all submitted applications to run inside a ‘sandbox’.
Wells quits Avaya for SaaS firm Workday
Australian IT industry stalwart Rob Wells has quit his post as the managing director of Avaya's Australian operations and will instead establish the local division of Software as a Service business software group Workday.
Kaching! CommBank’s mobile payment app pays off
Less than two months since its launch, downloads of the Kaching mobile payment app from Commonwealth Bank of Australia are going through the roof. With over 110,000 downloads and an app store rating of four stars, Kaching is the second most popular free finance app in the Australian App Store, after the company’s NetBank app, CommBank revealed this week.
Turnbull’s satellite claims bunk, says Conroy
Communications Minister Stephen Conroy has blasted Coalition Senators for not asking a single question in Senates Estimates sessions that would test the claims of Opposition Communications Spokesman Malcolm Turnbull about the adequacy of current satellite capacity to serve Australia’s remote and regional communities.
Telstra unhappy with ACCC ADSL regulation
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s (ACCC) decision to declare (regulate) a wholesale ADSL service and set an interim access determination for it has elicited strong reactions from Telstra and Optus. While Telstra expressed disappointment at the ACCC decision, Optus welcomed it as a significant win for both consumers and the industry.
R18+ game legislation hits Federal Parliament
Jason Clare, Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for Justice, yesterday introduced legislation to create an R18+ category for computer games.
Is a 4G Samsung Galaxy S II coming to Australia?
Samsung appears to be on the verge of launching a plethora of new mobile phones and tablets into the Australian market, with the Galaxy Note confirmed to be on its way, and 4G versions of the Samsung Galaxy S II smartphone and Galaxy Tab 8.9 tablet reported to be arriving shortly.
Apple Australia sold 1 million iPads in 2011
New research published by analyst house Telsyte has revealed that Apple sold about one million iPads in Australia in 2011, representing around 76 percent of the total local market for new burgeoning tablet category.
Exetel reveals 300GB, 100Mbps NBN plan for $70
Second-tier Australian ISP Exetel has launched a 300GB National Broadband Network pricing plan at 100Mbps for just $70 a month just a week after being criticised for having low top-end plans and undercutting rivals such as iiNet and Internode in the process.
Filter blocks Senators’ access to over 35m sites
Senator Scott Ludlam, Australian Greens communications spokesperson revealed in a media release yesterday that Australia’s parliamentarians have had their Web access heavily filtered. This follows the defeat of the Government’s proposed mandatory Internet filtering scheme more than a year ago.
Optus adds 182k mobile customers
Australia's number two telco Optus reported a net profit of A$177 million for the third quarter, representing growth of 4 percent, according to a Singtel Group news release yesterday. The company’s operating revenue was up 2 percent to A$2.42 billion, while EBITDA increased 2 percent to A$562 million.
Slow week at Delimiter
This is just a quick message to let you know that Delimiter will be posting a slightly reduced amount of stories this week -- perhaps about half as much as usual, or a third. This is because I'll personally only be working half days, as a means of taking a bit of a break from the daily treadmill and recharging, as well as strategising for the year ahead.
Govt holds second secret anti-piracy meeting
The Federal Government has reportedly held a second secret meeting held between the content and telecommunications industries to address the issue of illegal file sharing through avenues such as BitTorrent.
Telstra migrates email offshore to Windows Live
Australia’s largest telco Telstra has promised its BigPond customers a faster and enhanced email service named BigPond with Windows Live, without the need to change email addresses. The caveat? Their data will now also be stored offshore with Microsoft.
New Sony Android tablets hit Australia
Sony has launched the new Walkman Z series and the Sony Tablet P and Sony Tablet S 3G in Australia. Both the tablets and the Walkman are powered by the Android OS. The existing Sony Tablet S will also have a new pricing for its Wi-Fi model.
RIM Australia MD quits
The long-time leader of Research in Motion's Australian division has quit her post, leaving the company she has spent a decade at, as it continues to flounder in a market increasingly dominated by competing platforms from Apple and Google.
Vodafone cuts Galaxy S II, HTC Sensation prices
Struggling national mobile operator Vodafone this week launched a special offer on prices on its mobile plans for its flagship HTC Sensation XL and Samsung Galaxy S II handsets, with customers now able to pick up the smartphones for just $5 a month on a monthly plan costing $29 or higher.
Over 300,000 Australian households access IPTV
Telsyte, the Australian independent technology analyst firm, has released a study showing an increase in the use of subscription TV over broadband, with more than 300,000 Australian households currently accessing an IPTV service. This is equivalent to about one in ten subscription TV services presently provided.
ERP disaster costs Ansell millions
Australian condom and medical protection giant Ansell this week revealed a botched implementation of Oracle's ERP platform which went live last year had caused US$13 million to US$15 million worth of lost sales.
Telstra in mobile: Making out like a bandit
The nation's largest telco Telstra has continued to blitz rivals Optus and Vodafone in the mobile phone and broadband market, revealing today that it had added 958,000 new customers to its roster over the past six months, in a year in which Vodafone went backward and Optus experienced only modest mobile customer growth.
Exetel cuts NBN prices, limits quota to 150GB
National broadband provider Exetel has radically slashed the number of National Broadband Network plans it offers customers, as well as cutting prices and limiting the total monthly download quota on any plan to 150GB.
Internode to migrate customers to iiNet DSLAMs
National broadband provider Internode this week said its intention was, where possible, to eventually migrate all customers using ADSL infrastructure from rival wholesale providers Optus and Telstra to infrastructure owned by its new parent iiNet, as part of a "highest-priority" project following its acquisition.
New LG PRADA Android phone hits Vodafone
The new smartphone ‘PRADA phone by LG 3.0’ from the PRADA-LG collaboration will launch exclusively on the Vodafone network in Australia in April this year, according to an announcement by LG Electronics this week.
NBN Co inks $620m satellite deal
Rural and remote Australian communities will eventually be able to enjoy access to high-speed Internet not previously accessible, with the National Broadband Network Company (NBN Co) this week choosing Space Systems/Loral (SS/L) to build two next-generation Ka-band satellites to cover the regions.
Aussie group buying sector worth $500m in 2011
Online group buying deals are finding favour with more and more Australians, going by sales figures. According to local emerging technology analyst firm Telsyte, the online group buying market generated revenues worth $498 million in 2011.
Pirate Party slams full body scanner plan
Pirate Party Australia has condemned the Labor Government’s plan to install compulsory full body scanners at Australia’s international airports in an attempt to strengthen anti-terrorism measures. The Party claims that these systems have repeatedly proven ineffective and that the privacy and economic costs far outweigh any supposed security benefits.
Coalition missteps on NBN budget savings
The Federal Opposition has again incorrectly alleged that it could save money by cutting the Labor Federal Government's multi-billion dollar National Broadband Network project, despite financial projections which show the project is likely to make the Government billions.
Games industry upbeat despite downturn
Australia’s interactive games industry is upbeat and prospects remain bright as consumption of games continues to thrive, according to a media release from Interactive Games and Entertainment Association (iGEA). The sentiments come despite latest data showing that there was a significant dip in ‘traditional retail’ computer and video games sales in 2011.
HBO to invest $10 million in Quickflix
Leading Australian online movie rental company Quickflix announced yesterday that US television giant Home Box Office (HBO) would invest $10 million for a strategic stake in the company.
Optus launches small business NBN plans
The nation's number two telco Optus has released a clutch of National Broadband Network pricing plans aimed at small businesses, and has also revealed it will expand its consumer broadband plans in March, adding more bundles and 24 month contracts.
Former US Govt CIO in Aussie speaking tour
Former US whole of government chief information officer Vivek Kundra will hit Australia over the next several weeks for a speaking tour that will include events for his new employer Salesforce.com, as well as the Australian Information Industry Association.
More major IT contracts up for grabs in SA
The South Australian State Government today revealed that it would shortly be kicking off a huge new round of IT purchasing initiatives which would affect a string of major whole of government contracts, as part of its long-running Future ICT Services Arrangements program.
NBN policy: Show us some detail, Conroy tells Turnbull
Communications Minister Stephen Conroy has demanded that the Coalition disclose some basic details of its rival broadband policy, noting that Shadow Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull has not substantially outlined the policy further in public since a landmark speech on the issue in the middle of 2011.
NBN Co withholds fibre extension costs
The National Broadband Network Company has blocked a freedom of information request which would have seen information released about the amount which it will cost Australians outside the company's planned fibre broadband footprint extended to reach their premises.
Xero raises $15m, makes acquisition
Accounting software firm Xero announced last week that it had raised a further AU$15.5 million from current strategic investors to maintain its future growth in Australia and worldwide. The New Zealand-based company also announced the acquisition of Max Solutions, a leading practice management company and developer of WorkflowMax, a job, time and invoice management solution.
Fletcher wants Oz to learn from UK broadband policy
In a new blog entry entitled “What can we learn from the UK?”, Liberal MP Paul Fletcher has lambasted the broadband policies of the Gillard Government, unfavourable contrasting them with the approach of the Cameron Government in the UK.
WA Govt trials iPads in schools
Some of the youngest of Western Australia’s nearly 262,000 students enrolled in 770 public schools will now use the latest in Apple tablet technology to learn about alphabets and numbers.
Defence hasn’t tested IBM contract since 1999
The Federal Department of Defence has revealed that it renewed a major IT hardware and software contract with IBM in late 2008 to the tune of $342 million, despite not having put the work out to public tender since 1999.
Govt still hasn’t certified Apple iOS devices
Apple's iPhone 3G was first released in Australia three and a half years ago, and its flagship iPad tablet 18 months ago. But the Federal Government still hasn't certified the devices for use in government agencies, despite having pledged to do so by September last year, and despite approving Research in Motion's unpopular rival, the BlackBerry PlayBook.
Exetel’s John Linton has passed away
John Linton, the maverick chief executive of Internet service provider Exetel, has tragically passed away, according to several public notices published by Exetel staff this morning.
Turnbull wants strong ACCC oversight of NBN Co
Shadow Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull has warned the National Broadband Network Company must not not dodge Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) oversight, echoing concerns by a number of the company's ISP customers early this year.
Optus lacks vision and strategy, says Budde
Telecommunications analyst Paul Budde has published an entry in his blog thanking Optus, Australia’s second largest telco, on its 20th birthday for its contribution to telecommunications in the country over the last two decades, but also cautioning it on its lack of a vision for the future.
WA Govt funds Telstra mobile expansion
The nation's largest telco Telstra the Western Australian State Government's Regional Mobile Communication Project (RMCP) contract, a deal which will see Telstra receive $39.2 million from the state government and in return provide a value return of $106 million in the form of direct capital expenditure and access rights to Telstra’s infrastructure.
Optus Business nicks new MD from Telstra
Telecommunications giant Optus announced yesterday that John Paitaridis would be the new Managing Director of Optus Business, a its division providing telecommunications and information and communications technology (ICT) solutions to businesses.
Pollenizer-backed Pygg banks $600k
Another one of startup incubator Pollenizer's portfolio companies has raised a significant amount of investment capital to expand its operations, with social payments company Pygg today revealing it had taken $600k in funding.
iiNet completes Internode buyout a month early
National broadband provider iiNet this afternoon announced it had completed its $105 million buyout of rival Internode, a month ahead of schedule.
Telstra launches next-gen Samsung Windows phone
Nokia’s Lumia handsets might be just around the corner, but Korean electronics giant Samsung has beaten its Finnish rival to the punch when it comes to new Windows Phone 7 smartphones available in Australia, launching its high-end Omnia W handset through Telstra this week.
Woolworths walks away from Dick Smith
Retail giant Woolworths today revealed plans to sell its Dick Smith chain of consumer electronics stores, following a strategic review of its broader assets finished in November 2011. It also plans to close up to 100 Dick Smith stores in the next two years.
Bendigo and Adelaide Bank deploys next-gen IBM storage
IBM XIV Storage System Gen3 will be a key infrastructure component for Bendigo and Adelaide Bank’s ongoing development and delivery of customer-focussed business applications, according to an announcement by IBM yesterday.
Atlassian sends graduates to beach house
Atlassian has stationed 10 of its finest software graduates at the ‘Hack House’, a beach house in Narrabeen up the coat from the company’s Sydney headquarters. The ‘Gradlassians’, as they’ve been nicknamed, will spend a week combining surfing fun and hard work, developing a new product innovation ready for shipment by the end of the week.
Abbott won’t recreate Labor’s “ham-fisted” Internet filter
The Opposition has formed a new working group to deal with the issue of online safety for Australian children, stating that its rival policy will avoid the "ham-fisted" "cyber-censorship" mandatory Internet filtering approach that remains Labor Federal Government policy for dealing with the issue of how children are protected from Internet nasties.
Pirate Party demands Australia reject ACTA treaty
The Pirate Party of Australia has made a submission to the Federal Government recommending it reject the controversial Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) signed this week by the European Union, despite the fact that Australia actually signed the deal in September last year.
Nintendo Wii U to hit Australia before Christmas
Japanese video game giant Nintendo has reportedly confirmed plans to launch its next-generation Wii U console in Australia before the end of 2012, listing a local launch in line with simultaneous releases in Japan, the US and Europe.
19-year old Aussie pumps taxi booking app
A 19-year-old Australian developer, Zac Altman has successfully launched an online service for taxi users in Australia focusing on mobile bookings, thrusting himself into an industry worth hundreds of millions of dollars per year.